Weakness
by Star5674
Summary: Bass Monroe realizes that his attachment has become a weakness. Takes place after "Everyone Says I Love You"
1. Chapter 1

The words rang through his mind repeatedly. "Miles, you're going soft…you're like a puppy holding a kitten…." He had chastised Miles for "going soft" with the rescue mission to save Aaron, when in fact he had done the same thing. He had gone back for Charlie after he had been granted a clear exit strategy. He could have left her there and not looked back, as he had done so many times in the past. After all, this was a time of war. He had lost count of the many he had left for dead when it came to achieving his goals and getting out alive….but this had been different. This was Charlotte. Under no circumstance could he have left her behind, at the mercy of the Patriots.

Bass Monroe shook his head in a way to rid himself of the thoughts that had been plaguing him for weeks- the stark realization that Charlotte was beginning to mean more to him than he could have ever predicted, or ever wanted. Emotional attachment was a weakness, and weakness would put both of their lives in jeopardy. That's when he knew what he must do –

"So, where are ya heading?" Miles asked as he watched Bass throw some clothes into a knapsack. "I'll probably start heading east from here," Bass replied, not looking at Miles but continuing to gather items for his pack. "It's not like you are going to tell me where my son is, so I'm going to find him on my own. I have some intel on where he may be."

This statement surprised Miles. He didn't know how Bass could possibly know anything about the location of his son. "What intel?" he asked.

"Does it matter?" Bass asked. "You've already proven you aren't going to help me…in fact, I think it's been pretty convenient how you have been dangling my son like a carrot, but never provided any real information as to how I can find him. Fact is, I doubt you even know at this point… I think you've just been using me to win your war with the Patriots."

"Hey, you came here on your own, I didn't come looking for you," Miles replied quickly. _Actually_, Miles thought to himself, _Bass hadn't come here on his own….Charlie had led him straight to us._

"Whatever Miles," Bass said. "You all have it pretty well covered now. You have Rachel, Charlie, and Staypuft. One big happy family….now it's time for me to move on."

Miles remained quiet for a moment, not sure of what else there was to say to him. After a moment, he only replied, "Do what you gotta do, Bass."

"I always do."

Charlie just looked at Miles, hands on her hips and trying not to show any emotion in her features. Rachel stood there quietly, only watching the two of them.

"…so he's just taking off?" Charlie asked in a nonchalant tone.

"Yeah, he needs to move on, it's time," Miles replied.

Charlie shook her head, remaining silent. After a moment, she walked past Miles and around the corner to the room where Bass had been staying.

Bass heard footsteps come in to the room but never looked over his shoulder. He immediately knew who was there. Her scent was very identifiable, a mixture of vanilla and jasmine. He would know it anywhere, and it would remind him of her the rest of his life.

"Miles said you were leaving," Charlie spoke up after a moment.

"Yeah, there's a few things I need to take care of elsewhere," Bass replied, turning around to face her. He couldn't quite manage to look her in the eye.

Charlie narrowed her eyes. "I think you're afraid." She wasn't quite sure why she spoke these words to him. She had never known Bass to back down or appear afraid of anything. She had only been searching for something to say that could possibly get under his skin.

For the first time, Bass looked up at her. "Think whatever you want, Charlotte, that doesn't make it the truth."

"Why else would you leave?" Charlie challenged him. "This whole war with the Patriots….it was practically your idea. After all, you instigated most of it….now you're going to just leave us here to clean up your mess."

"Hey! It's hardly my mess. I only stuck around this long to get information from Miles about my son, and clearly he's not telling what he knows, so I'm done!" Bass knew his words sounded harsh, but he had to remain cold to her. It was the only way he could leave.

"You really are a son of a bitch," Charlie said and turned on her heel, exiting the room.

Rachel and Miles heard Charlie's last statement to Bass and watched as she walked through the living room and out the front door, slamming it upon her exit.

Rachel looked at Miles with a questioning gaze. Miles only shook his head, closing his eyes. They walked into the kitchen.

"Why is she so angry that he's leaving? She hates him," Rachel said.

Miles only looked at Rachel. They both knew why Charlie was angry that Bass was leaving. They just didn't want to say it out loud.

A moment later, Bass came out of the room with his knapsack. He walked over to where Miles and Rachel stood.

Bass extended his hand to Miles, "take care of yourself…"

Miles shook his hand, "you too, Bass."

Bass then turned to Rachel. The two had formed a cordial existence by this point. "Rachel."

Rachel only nodded in response.

"Take care of Charlotte."

Rachel smiled and shook her head.

Bass threw his knapsack over his shoulder and walked out the front door without looking back.


	2. Chapter 2

Miles found Charlie out in the work shed.

She was sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall with her knees pulled up to her chest.

Upon hearing Miles enter the shed, she jumped up quickly, brushing her eyes with her fingers.

Miles took a look at her silently.

"You okay, kid?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure, I'm fine," Charlie replied.

Miles watched Charlie for a moment in silence. A female crying over Bass. It was a sight he had seen a thousand times over. Prior to the Blackout, Bass had left broken hearts in his wake at every turn. He had been a true charismatic womanizer and Miles had always been the one to try and smooth things over with the females Bass had left behind. Miles would always try to make up some excuse to make them feel better, never quite sure why he had taken on the responsibility. He had chalked it up to wanting to protect his best friend's image, despite Bass' worst actions.

This case, it was his niece and this didn't sit well with Miles. He was not sure how deep the interaction with Bass and Charlie had gone at this point. He was only hoping it was some unrequited crush that Charlie had formed toward Bass and that Bass had paid no notice...but he wasn't so sure.

"I was just out here, getting some of my knives," Charlie said, shaking Miles from his thoughts as she reached over the work table to retrieve the knives.

"I'm going back to the house, you should come back in when you're finished," Miles said as he opened the shed door.

Charlie could feel tears stinging her eyes, so she only shook her head, not facing Miles.

The Willoughby Tavern was lively that night. Many of the townspeople had come out to enjoy some music and the free flowing spirits that the bartender was serving up. Seated at the bar, Charlie took a shot of whiskey. She winced as the liquid burned her throat, hoping it would begin to numb the sullen feelings she had experienced that day. She was almost ashamed at the effect that Bass' absence was having in her life. It was serving to prove to her how significant his presence had been, and not just as an ally. Charlie had truly felt safe with Bass. He had saved her life numerous times and they had formed a comfortable truce.

"Hey pretty lady, can I buy you another drink?" a man who looked to be in his early 30's took the seat next to her at the bar, introducing himself as Vincent.

Now having enjoyed six consecutive shots, Charlie was starting to feel a little less inhibited, so she readily accepted the offer for another drink.

Vincent ordered two more whiskey shots and they took them together.

After another drink and some small talk, he put his hand on Charlie's knee.

"Why don't we take this somewhere a little more private?"

Charlie smiled through her drunken haze, "maybe another time."

Vincent leaned in and grinned, "no, I think now will do just fine."

Charlie's smile faded. "Thanks, but I'm really not interested."

Vincent grabbed her arm and pulled her forcefully against him.

At that moment, someone came up behind him, "I think the lady said she was not interested."

"...and who the hell are you?" Vincent turned around to be knocked out cold by a right hook to the face.

Charlie's head snapped back to look at the man, instantly recognizing his voice. Bass.

Charlie jumped up from her seat at the bar.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she nearly shouted.

"It looks like I'm saving your ass...again," Bass said, his arms leaning on the bar.

Charlie rolled her eyes. "Please, I can take care of myself. I had that completely under control."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Bass smirked.

Charlie stood up from her seat to stand face to face with him.

"...and what the hell do you care anyway? You're supposed to be gone, remember?"

Bass just watched her, not sure how to reply. She was right, he was supposed to be gone. Having left earlier that afternoon, he should have been miles away from Willoughby, and yet, here he was, back here again.

Charlie smirked, the alcohol making her a bit more brazen. "Yeah, Monroe...I've realized one thing about you. You're a lot of talk."

She picked up her glass and drank down the rest of her whiskey in one swig. She set her glass down and began to walk out of the tavern.

Bass wasn't far behind, exiting behind her.

Charlie walked up the street quickly. The curfew had been lifted but it still wasn't encouraged to be out on the street after dusk.

Bass caught up to her, pulling her arm and pushing her into a nearby alley.

Charlie's back hit the brick wall and she found herself standing nose to nose with Bass. He turned to peer down the alleyway. He had spotted a few troops further down the street and had pulled Charlie along with him into the alley so they wouldn't be spotted.

"Ya know, that was pretty ballsy, showing up in the tavern...after all, you are supposed to be a dead man," Charlie said, smirking at him again, her eyes showing the amount of alcohol she had actually consumed.

Bass still continued to watch down the alley, trying to avoid meeting her eyes in an attempt to ignore their extremely close proximity. At that moment, Charlie made a move that shocked both of them. She leaned in and planted a kiss on his neck. Bass immediately snapped to attention and searched her face for an expression.

"What the hell was that?" he asked quickly.

"Well, if you have to ask, then clearly it didn't have the desired effect," Charlie gave him a devilish grin.

That had to be the alcohol talking. Sure, Bass had thought at certain moments that he had caught her watching him just a moment longer than she should. Hell, if he were being honest, he knew he was watching her a lot more than he should have been...

"You're drunk, Charlotte," was all Bass could muster as a reply.

Charlie reached her arms to settle around his back, pulling him a little closer. "...so, does that mean you don't want me to?"

Bass looked at her confused, "want you to what?"

"This," with that Charlie closed the space between them and kissed him with a passion that left them both breathless.


	3. Chapter 3

Bass pulled away from her after a moment.

"That shouldn't have happened," he said after a long moment.

Charlie stood there, leaning against the brick wall, dazed from the kiss...the kiss he had returned, whether he would admit it or not.

The alcohol that fueled her courage seemed to be wearing off and she began to feel embarrassed by her brazen actions. She took a step away from him.

Bass reached out and grabbed her arm. "Wait."

Charlie looked at him in question.

"We...don't know if the Patriots are still on the street," Bass spoke up.

"I can handle it," Charlie replied. At this point, after practically throwing herself at Bass and being rejected, she would take her chances with the Patriots.

"Just wait a minute," Bass said in a low whisper, his hand staying firmly planted on her arm.

"I need to go, now," Charlie said, unwilling to meet his gaze. She could her cheeks burning red with humiliation.

Bass made no sign of moving or letting go of her arm.

"You need to let go of me," Charlie said, her tone taking a turn of annoyance.

"Listen, you don't have to be embarrassed or run away, much less get yourself killed by running out there to the Patriots," Bass said.

"I'm not embarrassed," Charlie lied.

Bass smirked, "ok then just wait here a minute."

Charlie leaned back against the brick wall and closed her eyes. Her stomach began to churn and suddenly she didn't feel so well.

Bass looked down at her, noting her pale face and expression. "Are you okay?"

"I don't feel so well."

Bass tried to hide a smile, "whiskey will do that to ya."

After a moment, he stepped to the corner and looked to see that the coast was clear. He then led Charlie back down the street and on their way to the house.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning Charlie felt like she had been hit by a steam engine.

She woke up to find Bass standing in the doorway of her room, watching her.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Just making sure you didn't get sick again," Bass replied.

Memories of the night before came rushing back to her. She remembered that he had carried her in the house in an effort to not wake everyone up. He had helped her to the bathroom and held her hair while she got sick.

Then, another memory rushed into her head. The memory of a searing kiss she had shared with Bass in the alley outside of the tavern. The scorching kiss that he had pulled away from and immediately rejected the notion of it ever happening again.

Charlie tried to sit up but her head was spinning.

"Don't try to get up right now, just rest for a little while," Bass said.

"Do Miles and my mom know that you're back?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, they were pretty shocked to see me at the breakfast table this morning," Bass said with a grin.

"...about that, why are you back here?" Charlie asked.

"Well, you all really can't handle the Patriots without me," Bass said. "My intel wasn't so accurate...I figure that if I help Miles, I can break him down and he will tell me what he knows about my son."

Charlie nodded, too weak to argue with him, and closing her eyes due to the light sensitivity she was experiencing from her hangover.

Bass couldn't admit to her why he was really back in Willoughby. The truth was, he didn't have enough confirmed information to go on and couldn't risk a blind mission to find the son he had never met. Even so, he had used his son as a reason to leave because he could feel himself edging closer and closer to Charlie. This made feelings known that he wasn't ready to admit, even to himself. She had become his weakness, a weakness he had tried to leave behind...but he hadn't been able to follow through.

The previous night, he had made it just on the edge of town when he realized that he wasn't ready to leave Willoughby, or Charlie, behind. By then, it was near dusk and he had set up a fire, thinking he would camp for the night. He had spotted her, heading to the tavern. He made a covert attempt to sit in the back of the tavern, watching her interaction with others, and making sure nothing got out of hand.

That's when he had spotted the man who introduced himself to Charlie and bought her a drink. At that moment, Bass experienced a feeling that he hadn't felt in years - jealousy. He had intervened when the man attempted to touch her and made his presence known.

He had never expected her bold move to kiss him in the alley. It was something that crossed his mind on several occasions - there had been times he had to hold himself back from initiating such contact, especially during their heated arguments.

"Well, if you're back for good...then I owe you an apology," Charlie said, getting the courage to bring up the boldness of her actions.

Bass held up his hand, "no need for an apology...I'm just chalking it up to the alcohol. It's nothing to concern yourself with, alright?"

Charlie shook her head, a smile forming on her lips but feeling dejected. The thought of kissing Bass had been in the back of her mind for a while now. Between their bickering and then adrenaline fueled fights, it was no wonder that an attraction had begun. Many times she thought it could be reciprocated. She even felt as though Bass had kissed her back...but his reaction afterwards had pretty much confirmed the opposite.

Bass turned to leave the room and rounded the corner, only to practically run into Miles.

"Bass...what is she apologizing for?" Miles asked. "...what are you 'chalking up to alcohol?"


	5. Chapter 5

"Bass?"

Bass stood there for a second, not sure how to respond to Miles' question.

Suddenly, Charlie appeared in the doorway of her room.

"I was kind of a jerk to him last night and punched him," Charlie said quickly. Bass furrowed his eyebrows and turned to look at her. There was no way Miles would buy that excuse.

Miles looked at the two of them, questioning.

Bass was an expert fighter...it was hard for Miles to imagine that he would let Charlie get a hit on him.

"She actually did blind side me...which means I need to do some training...get my reflex time up a bit," Bass replied, his eyes never leaving Charlie.

Miles looked from Bass to Charlie. Whatever was going on here, he wasn't buying their story...but he wasn't going to question it at this point.

From his perspective, none of this made any sense at this point anyway.

"Okay, well, Bass...if you're staying around after all, maybe we will work on some plans."

"Sounds good, I'll be around, at least for a little while," Bass replied.

"Right," Miles said, his usual dry tone in full force.


	6. Chapter 6

Back in the shed, Bass and Charlie worked on training after Miles and Rachel went for a supply run. Bass could tell that Miles had trained Charlie well. She used many of his signature moves and had excellent instincts and reflexes.

Bass ended up outmaneuvering her and ended up pinning her to the ground, using his weight to keep her down. Charlie worked to break free from his grasp but Bass was too strong.

"See, you want to leverage your weight, so you don't get pinned," Bass instructed her.

Bass had her wrists pinned to the ground above her head and Charlie stopped fighting to break free. Suddenly, the position they were in began to exist outside the realm of training. Bass held her wrists a little more loosely, so that she could freely break from his grasp, when he realized she had completely stopped trying. She just laid there beneath him, watching his face.

Bass made no immediate move to leave the position and closed his eyes for a second, trying to fight back for control. At this point, he could feel it slipping away and could feel himself giving in to his attraction.

Charlie saw that his eyes were closed and took the opportunity to free her wrists, and ran her hands through his hair.

Bass' eyes snapped open at the contact. Charlie began to knead the muscles of his neck as they watched one another.

He couldn't fight it anymore and he was tired of trying.

Bass leaned down and captured Charlie's lips with his own. A light kiss that soon became more passionate, giving way to months of sexual tension and pent up frustration.

The two laid on the ground of the shed for several moments until they broke away breathlessly.

Bass shook his head, not able to comprehend what he had allowed himself to do.

He quickly sat up and moved away from Charlie.

"Now, I guess it's my turn to apologize," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose as though he suddenly had a bad headache. In truth, he was trying to calm himself down.

Charlie sat up after a moment.

"What's going on between us?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know," Bass replied. "...but whatever this is, it has to stop. We can't do this...you're just a kid...and you're Miles' niece."

"I'm not a kid," Charlie said, reaching over to rub his shoulder.

Even such an innocent touch from her was enough to leave him in a state of wanting more.

"Charlotte, we can't...for so many reasons...we just can't do this."


	7. Chapter 7

Several days had passed with Bass and Charlie successfully avoiding one another.

This only served to further alarm Miles and Rachel.

Something was definitely going on here.

Charlie couldn't deny her attraction to Bass. After months of hating him and wanting to exact revenge, she had learned of his past and that he had a deeper soul than she could ever have imagined. Through that connection, a physical attraction had emerged. An attraction that was reciprocated...only Bass was still in complete denial about its existence. He had acted on it, only to retract the behavior and again reject the notion of anything happening between them.

Was it complicated? Of course - very complicated...but from what she could tell in her limited experience with relationships was that most of them were...just look at whatever complicated history that appeared to exist between her mom and Miles.

That evening, Rachel had prepared supper for all of them and they gathered in the dining room. Charlie sat between Miles and Aaron and barely spoke. Rachel discussed strategy on their next move and Bass barely looked up from his plate. After dinner, Bass and Miles went for a walk along the bank.

"Listen, I don't know what the hell is happening or if I even want to know...but Charlie...she's not a notch on your bedpost," Miles said in a warning tone.

"Miles...you know that I would never see Charlotte that way, ever," Bass replied.

"Good...let's keep it that way," Miles said.

That night, after everyone was asleep in the house, Bass laid on the cot in a spare room, not able to sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her face, her body lying beneath his in the shed during their training session.

Hell, he felt like a teenage boy again.

Down the hallway, Charlie lie awake in her bed, wrestling with her thoughts. She hadn't been sleeping well lately and she was blaming Monroe. She had gone back to thinking of him as 'Monroe.' 'Bass' seemed too personal and she was trying to detach herself mentally and emotionally. It was a matter of self preservation.

He had basically rejected her and she had to come to terms with that fact. Despite whatever chemistry they seemed to have, nothing was going to happen between them. Charlie closed her eyes, willing herself to accept this, move on, and find some peace.

A moment later, when she opened her eyes, she found Bass standing in the doorway of her bedroom.


	8. Chapter 8

Charlie sat up suddenly.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" she asked urgently, her voice in a low whisper.

Bass walked into the room, closing the door behind him quietly with his finger to his lips. Aaron, Miles, and Rachel were all in rooms upstairs, but everyone remained on high alert to noises, especially at night.

"Everything is fine," Bass whispered, walking over to take a seat at the edge of her bed.

Charlie tried to edge away from him, afraid that her attraction would seem completely evident. He wasn't making things very easy for her - walking around in a pair of loose fitting 'pajama' pants with no shirt!

"What are you doing in here?" Charlie asked.

"I wanted to talk to you alone," Bass said, leaning his elbows on his legs.

Charlie was silent for a moment.

"I don't know what is happening between us...and I don't know how we can stop it," Bass said in a resigned tone.

It was like watching two cars speeding at one another, neither making a move to avert the other's path...this was, in a word, inevitable.

Charlie nodded in understanding, at least glad that he could openly admit that _something_ was indeed happening.

"Miles and your mother would have my head on a stick if I touched you, you know that right?" Bass asked, with a smile and a grim tone.

"Well, they can't tell me what to do...I'm not a child," Charlie said, scooting a little closer to him. It was like he was a magnet - despite her tendency to want to move away from him, she just kept gravitating toward him...it seems as though it had always been that way, even when she thought she hated him and before she was completely aware of it.

Bass looked over at her, not sure what to say at this point.

"We just - we have to make sure the Patriots don't win this fight," Bass said, trying to turn the subject. "...we can't get...distracted...distractions are a weakness."

"We're already distracted," Charlie said, reaching a hand out to touch his bare shoulder. _Why do I always feel compelled to touch him?!_ she thought.

Bass' eyes closed at the feel of her hands that had now moved to knead the taut muscles of his back.

He reached over to pull Charlie on to his lap.

The two embraced as she continued to rub the muscles of his back and his hands felt their way to the edge of the t-shirt she wore to bed.

He leaned back in a silent question before pulling the shirt over her head.

At that moment, he pulled her to him and they sat, chest to chest, skin to skin.

Bass' skin was so warm against her own, a welcome contrast to the slight chill that was in the air.

Bass began to place small feather kisses ever so gently across her neck. Charlie held him against her, eyes closed, soaking up the sensation.

Bass' small kisses began to take on an urgency until he sought her mouth, their tongues dueling for dominance.

He leaned them down into her bed and the two gave in to the fight they had been waging for months.


	9. Chapter 9

They almost had a good system down by this time.

For the past eight weeks, Bass and Charlie had managed to act relatively normal in the presence of Miles, Rachel, and Aaron. They would spar and train together, having fought several successful battles with Patriots troops...but when they were alone, that was a completely different story.

They had been sneaking around for the better part of those two months, taking every available opportunity to be alone together when there was no risk of being caught. Even though there were a couple of times when they were sure that someone would catch them. After all, there were only so many places they could go.

They had decided almost immediately that this _whatever it was_, would need to be something they kept to themselves. No one would understand and certainly no one would support it.

"We have to be careful, we're getting sloppy," Charlie said, between kisses when the two had met out in the shed.

Bass was feverishly kissing her neck. "It will be ok, I promise," he said before moving to kiss her mouth.

At that moment, Rachel and Miles walked into the shed, causing Charlie and Bass to push apart quickly. Charlie leaned on the worktable looking at her knives and Bass walked over to the window to look outside (and avoiding meeting eyes with Miles or Rachel).

Miles looked skeptically at the two of them, observing that they were on near opposite sides of the room, despite the tussled appearance that seemed to be wearing at the moment.

"Alright, I've had enough - what is going on here?" Miles finally burst out.

Rachel looked from him to Charlie to Bass. She had gotten the distinct feeling on several occasions that there was definitely more going on that what meets the eye concerning her daughter and Bass Monroe.

Charlie looked at both of them. "I was just sharpening my knives."

"Yeah...and uh, Bass is just enjoying the scenery out the window, right?" Miles asked, getting annoyed.

Bass turned away from the window to face them. He first met eyes with Charlie, then with Rachel, and Miles.

"You're right, Miles, something has been going on here," Bass said.

Charlie's eyes widened, not sure if he was getting ready to tell one of hell of a lie or expose the truth of what they had been doing.

"I figured as much," Miles said, a disgusted tone in his voice as he walked toward Bass.

"Miles," Charlie said in a warning tone.

"You son of a bitch - I know you! I knew this was going to happen!" Miles exclaimed.

"I told you, she was not another notch on your bedpost...and yet you go after her anyway!"

"Miles, you're right," Bass said. "- she's not another notch on my bedpost...I'm in love with her."


	10. Chapter 10

First- Thank you all so much the warm feedback, I am so excited that you like it! Here's the next installment~~

~~"Here, put this on your jaw," Rachel said calmly, handing a warm compress to Bass. He placed it on his now swollen jaw and sat back on the kitchen stool, watching her.

Rachel had turned around to tend to the tea kettle and felt his eyes on her. She turned back around.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

Bass' eyebrows raised at this question. "Why? I'm trying to figure out what you're going to do next, Rachel...you're being awfully nice to the man who just admitted to sleeping with your daughter...or maybe you're just planning a screwdriver to my temple while I sleep?"

Rachel smirked. "Six months ago, if you were to tell me that we would be having this conversation, I would have laughed in complete denial or I would have been shocked...but now, I really can't say that I am."

Bass just looked at her in silence, hoping she would continue.

"Bass, since you came back to Willoughby with Charlie, I have seen another side to you, a side that I thought had long been dead and gone...the 'old' you, Pre-Blackout Bass Monroe. The guy who would come over to our house for family dinners. A guy who showed true warmth and compassion; I kind of missed that guy and it looks like he's coming back."

Bass furrowed his eyebrows. "Yeah, it's nice that you have selective memory syndrome here," he said with a hint of sarcasm. "...because back then, I distinctly remember you calling me, what was it? Oh yes, a complete womanizer."

Rachel tried to hide a smile, "well, there was that part of your personality that I wasn't so fond of...I always thought that you were a bad influence on Miles."

"Rachel, I had zero influence over Miles, trust me."

"I think you underestimate the power that your friendship with Miles has with him," Rachel replied. "I think your survival is due to that friendship. Look at how many times the two of you could have killed one another, and yet, you never did."

Bass nodded quietly, removing the compress from his jaw.

"Well, clearly I am now once again on his sh*& list," Bass said.

"He's just angry," Rachel said.

"Which once again leads me back to my earlier question, how are you not ready to kill me? I mean, I'm not exactly complaining but...after my declaration in there, I get a punch to the jaw from Miles and you say nothing."

"...because for the first time in many years, I believed what you said," Rachel said. "I think you do love her. I have seen the way you are with her, the way you look at her when you think no one is watching. At first, I thought it was just a protective instinct, but then I realized it was much more than that. I know that you will keep her safe, and a man to love and protect her daughter is all a mother can really ask for."

"Well, I know I'm not exactly the top choice of suitors for Charlie after all that's happened...and you may not seem surprised but Miles certainly acted blind-sided by it," Bass replied.

"He's been in denial about it for several reasons, but he's noticed...but it's unfamiliar for him. He's used to the womanizing Bass Monroe, not the one who declares his love for someone. I mean, how many women have you told Miles that you loved?"

"Shelly, she's the only one," Bass replied.

"Exactly," Rachel said. "This is not a common occurrence for you or him. Of course, he's very protective over Charlie so his first instinct was to get angry...but deep down, this is not something that shocks him."

"So are you ok with this then?" Bass had to ask.

"To say that I'm 'Ok with this' may be a little too strong at this point...but I get it," Rachel said honestly. "She's grown so much but she's always going to be my little girl...I missed so much of her life already, so for me, she's still that little girl with pigtails..."

"Yeah, you missed watching her grow up because of me," Bass said in a grim tone.

"Bass...don't go there...I think we can all see that our relationships have evolved past the pain we have caused each other. I was ready to kill you when you first got to Willoughby but I was the one who ended up making sure you weren't executed...and the main reason was because of what Charlie said to me. She didn't want you to die. She told me how you had saved her life..."

Bass nodded silently. "So, what do I say now? How do I get through to Miles?"

"As always, it's just going to take time," Rachel said. "I think I wanted to offer you support since I have a few secrets of my own that could derail the relationships that I have worked so hard to repair," she said after a moment.

Bass looked at her confused but remained silent.

"I can't judge you for you being open about how you feel and the circumstances of your relationship with Charlie...I would be a complete hypocrite otherwise. I know exactly what it feels like to be in love with someone when all signs point to it being the wrong person, wrong circumstances and could be catastrophic if anyone knew the truth."

"Rachel, what are you talking about?" Bass asked quietly although he had a feeling that he knew where she was going with this.

"Did Miles ever tell you about us?" Rachel asked suddenly, catching Bass off guard.

"Miles never really talked about any of that stuff with me...even though we were best friends, he just never really went into details. Of course, I knew about Emma but that's the extent of it." Bass said.

Rachel only nodded, looking down at the counter.

"...but I would have been a fool to not know that _something_ was happening between the two of you...he had a different way about him when you were around. He looked...happier," Bass said. "...but because of Ben, he could never bring himself to really say anything about it, at least to me."

"I found him at the airport, right before he was going to deploy," Rachel spoke up. "I gave him an ultimatum - told him that if he said the word, if he loved me, I would leave Ben."

Bass sighed, his eyes widened. He had never heard about this.

"...but he told me that he didn't love me and he told me to start a family with Ben," Rachel said.

Bass shook his head, looking grim.

"...but what Miles didn't know was that I had already started a family...with him."

Bass had been looking down at the counter but his eyes snapped up to look at Rachel. His eyebrows furrowed as though he was trying to decipher what she had just said.

"...Rachel, are you saying?" Bass trailed off.

Rachel nodded solemnly. "Yes, Bass...Miles is Charlie's father."


	11. Chapter 11

Miles stood at the work table in the shed. Charlie stood behind him, leaning against the wall, watching and waiting for some sort of reaction.

Miles had been quick to deck Bass after his declaration. Rachel had ushered Bass out of the shed quickly, leaving Charlie and Miles alone. They had been there for quite a while, neither willing to be the first to speak.

Charlie was angry with Miles for hitting Bass but also shell-shocked that he'd claimed that he loved her.

Miles was just livid.

After a long pause, Miles spoke up, not turning around. "How did this happen, kid? I had hoped that I trained you better than this...not to let your emotions overrun your judgment..."

Charlie pushed away from her perch against the wall to walk closer to him.

"Miles, I don't really know what to say...things just happened."

Miles shook his head. "That complete bastard...taking advantage of you-"

"-He did not take advantage of me," Charlie replied quickly. "If anything, I made the first move-"

"-Ahh, don't tell me that!" Miles said, holding his hand up. He did NOT want any details of this. "He's old enough to be your father," Miles stated in a matter of fact tone.

"Well, he's not my father," Charlie replied. "...the world we live in and the things we have to do just to survive...if you find someone to care about, why should age make a difference?"

"...because it seems wrong...he was my best friend...you're my niece. He fed you a baby bottle for s&%$ sakes!" Miles shouted, remembering back to a day many years ago. He and Bass had returned from a deployment and had come to meet Baby Charlotte Matheson who had been born while they were doing their tour overseas. Little Charlotte Matheson was only 8 months old but Miles could see her mother's beautiful bright blue eyes and features evident from the beginning.

"Ok, that's a little - different, I'll give you that," Charlie said, breaking Miles from his memories. "...but we don't even live in the same world anymore. You're talking about a world in which I have no memory of..."

"...that's because you were an infant!" Miles exclaimed.

"You know what I mean, Miles!" Charlie shouted back. "That world, the world you grew up in - with television, music, electricity- I have just the most vague recollection of any of it, and it's so faint I sometimes wonder if it was just a dream and not a real memory..."

Charlie continued. "I didn't grow up in the world that you did where there were rules about how old someone should be when you date them or how much age difference is 'unacceptable' - from what I can tell, this world had very little love or compassion left...so if you see it or get to experience a connection, how can you not take advantage of it?"

"...because I think he's taking advantage of you," Miles said. "Like or not, women are still more emotional than men, even now. You get all caught up in the romance of this until one day you wake up and he's gone...he's left to pursue another endeavor, or another woman...that's just the way Bass is, the way he's always been."

"...so you don't think people can change?" Charlie asked.

"I think people do what they need to survive and get they want, but at the end of the day, their true colors will show."

"So, after everything that's happened, you don't think Bass is capable of changing?" Charlie asked.

"Bass' - listen to you, as far as you were concerned, he used to be 'Monroe' the evil dictator who wiped out half your family...now you're calling him 'Bass!"

"All of you call him Bass!" Charlie shouted.

"It just sounds strange coming from you...all of this sounds strange coming from you," Miles said, rubbing his forehead. A massive headache had set in after all of this drama.

"Maybe he isn't the only who's changed- I'm not a kid and I'm certainly not 'overly emotional' - that's so sexist to say, especially given your history with my mother."

Miles head snapped around to look at Charlie, "what are you talking about?"

"Oh come on Miles, you'd have to be stupid to not see that there's clearly a very emotional history between you and my mother...don't even try to deny it. Given the fact that she was your brother's wife, I would say you have no solid argument to judge anyone else about who they have feelings for," Charlie said.

"Watch it Charlie," Miles said in a warning tone.

Charlie was angry. "It's the truth isn't it? Now that we're all being honest here..."

Miles turned around. "Actually, in all of this, Bass put in on the line when he said that he was in love with you...but there's one thing you have failed to admit...are you in love with him?"


	12. Chapter 12

Now Bass felt like he'd been hit with a ton of bricks. Of course, he had figured there was a complicated history between Miles and Rachel...but he would never have guessed that it was of this magnitude.

Charlie is Miles' daughter...the thought kept running through his mind repeatedly and suddenly he felt sick to his stomach. For as long as he could remember, Miles was like a brother to him, at one point he had been the only family Bass had left and the one who talked him off the ledge in his darkest days.

'So how do I repay him? I sleep with the daughter he doesn't realize that he has,' Bass thought grimly. He felt as though he had betrayed the one person in his life that he ever felt that he could truly count on...

Bass had agreed to keep this quiet and let Rachel tell them on her own terms. That alone would be a feat - if Charlie or Miles ever found out that he knew first, the implications could be disastrous. Perhaps what was worse, was the thought of trying to act normal after this revelation.

He actually wished Rachel hadn't told him - he would rather not know.._.I really should have left when I said that I was going to_, he thought again but immediately retracted. He couldn't regret what was happening with Charlie, but now he didn't know if he could continue this way, with the confirmation that Charlie was Miles' daughter. Yes, in some way, it had seemed a bit 'forbidden' when he thought she was Miles' niece...but this had taken it to a whole new level.

This realization struck him so hard, it made him nauseous.

He had retreated to lay on his cot in the spare room, with a towel against his jaw. He could hear the front door open and close and two sets of footsteps entering the house. One set started going up the stairs and the other pair came down the hallway. He could only pray that Miles wasn't coming to hit him in the jaw again. He really wasn't up for that.

He saw Charlie peek around the corner of the doorway. "Hey," she said quietly.

Bass made no move to sit up, only lying on his back and mumbling 'Hey' with the pack against his jaw.

Charlie walked into the room to sit down on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry he hit you."

"Ahh, it's nothing that hasn't happened before," Bass replied with a smirk. "...just a different reason this time."

"Yeah...I'm the reason," Charlie said solemnly. She really didn't want to complicate things between them when it seemed that Miles and Bass were finally coming to common ground in what used to be a friendship.

"Listen, it's really not a big deal...Miles and I fight, we always have...it's what we do, it'll blow over," Bass replied, acting a little distant.

Charlie nodded, aware that Bass was avoiding meeting her gaze. After a moment, she reached out to run her hand over his forehead.

He tried to be nonchalant in turning over to face the wall, breaking contact, "I think I'm going to rest here for a bit."

Charlie pulled her hand back quickly and nodded silently. She wasn't sure what was going through his mind at this moment.

_Was he angry that they had been caught? Did he regret saying that he was in love with her? Did he just say that to get to Miles?_

Charlie's head swirled with questions she wished that she could ask...but seeing Bass' back as he faced away from her and toward the wall showed that he was in mood to talk at the moment.

Charlie turned on her heel and left the room without another word.


	13. Chapter 13

The group sat around the dinner table two evenings later.

Miles was seated beside Charlie and ate his dinner quietly, not wanting to speak in general. He was angry at Bass, angry at Charlie, and angry that Rachel wasn't more angry about the situation. Basically, he just didn't to deal with any of them.

Gene and Rachel had been trying to make amends after his betrayal with the Patriots. He was trying to prove his loyalty to helping Rachel and Miles and would not stop until they were convinced that he would not betray them again.

Gene and Aaron were seated at the head of the table on each side and exchanged a questioning glance. They had no idea what was going on. They had been able to deduce that something had taken place, given the size of Bass' jaw by this time and the fact that no one wanted to speak to one another. Rachel and Charlie were back to their usual fake sugary sweet banter that set Gene's nerves on edge, he couldn't stand that.

"Charlie, please pass the bread," Rachel requested with a smile.

"Sure, mother," Charlie smiled back, passing the plate across the table where Rachel was seated beside Bass. Gene only rolled his eyes.

"So, what's going on? Anyone care to clue me in?" Aaron finally asked.

"Everything's fine," Rachel looked over at Aaron with a smile.

"Yeah, I can see how everything is just cozy and wonderful," Aaron said with sarcasm. "No one is speaking to one another and it looks like the General over there got his ass handed to him."

"Hey Staypuft, if I were you, I would stay out of it," Bass snapped at Aaron.

"Don't call him that, he's never done anything to you," Charlie snapped at Bass. This caused Miles to look up from his plate.

"That's true, he hasn't...so I guess I should be grateful...I guess I should shut up or he will set me on fire with his mind," Bass shot back, his eyes never leaving Charlie.

"Enough!" Rachel said, her fork clanging to her plate loudly.

Charlie only glared at Bass, who returned to staring at his plate.

Aaron stood up and left the table quickly. Clearly, he still had a lot of guilt over his powers and how they had been used, even though they had disappeared.

Charlie sighed, "why can't you just leave it alone? You have to be a jerk to everyone."

Bass sighed back, "I guess that's what I do best, Charlotte."

Miles raised his eyebrows but remained silent. He hadn't realized that such tension had been created between Bass and Charlie...not that he was torn up about it.

"I think we should all just calm down and finish eating, we have a long day tomorrow," Rachel said.

"Calm down- yeah, Rachel, you're great at that," Miles said, looking at Rachel. Everyone's eyes shot to Miles who had remained silent up to this point.

Rachel glared at Miles as if to dare him to speak further. He glared back at her in silence.

"Well, as terrific as the dinner and the company has been, I'm going upstairs to do a bit of reading," Gene said, standing up from the table and quickly leaving the room.

"Is anyone going to talk about this? It's just a giant elephant in the room that's sucking the life out of everything," Rachel said.

"What is there to talk about?" Miles asked. "Bass and Charlie have been sneaking around behind our backs. I guess if there is anything to talk about, it's why you aren't the least bit upset about it."

"I never said that I wasn't upset about it," Rachel said. "...but how am I supposed to do anything about it? Charlie's a grown woman and it's not like I can control anything she does. She's very strong-willed."

"-Just like her mother," Bass spoke up, still not lifting his eyes from his plate. This caused Charlie to shoot daggers at Bass once again. Her mind went back to the last time he tried comparing the two of them - she and Bass had been tied up in that abandoned swimming pool...back when she'd been trying to kill him. Wow, how things had changed.

"Besides, there's nothing to be upset about anyway," Charlie said, looking at Miles and then Rachel. "There's nothing going on. It's over."

Miles furrowed his brow, trying to figure out if she was telling the truth. Her expression remained blank so it was hard to tell. He looked at Bass who also had no expression and had not lifted his eyes from a spot on the worn wooden table.

"Is that true?" Rachel asked, turning to Bass.

Bass merely shrugged. "Kid's not lying." Charlie could feel herself fuming at this point and Miles looked at Bass.

"So she's back to being called 'kid,' that's just terrific, Bass...way to make yourself look even more like a dirty old man," Miles said.

Bass showed no reaction. As a matter of fact, he hadn't shown reaction to much of anything lately. It was like he was numb to everything and everyone around him.

It reminded Miles of the transformation that Bass underwent when the Republic was formed.

"Well, this has been real fun, but I have some training to do before sun up," Charlie said, standing up from her chair. She walked out of the room and the door slammed so hard it caused the plates and utensils on the table to shake.


	14. Chapter 14

Charlie had retreated to the shed to work on training. She had tied up a large sack of flour and was using it as a punching bag. She was punching it as hard as she could and knew she would have bruised knuckles in the morning.

"You really should wrap your hands," a voice echoed from the entrance to the shed. Bass.

Charlie turned to look at him. "Yeah, thanks for your concern," she said and continued to punch the sack.

"Seriously, you're going to mess up your hands and come tomorrow, you won't have your full strength when you need it," Bass replied, walking over and pulling the sack down before she could punch it again.

"Bass, I can handle this, alright? I don't need you in here spewing advice like you give a shit," Charlie said tightly.

Bass stood there watching her.

"Do you think that I don't care?" Bass asked softly.

"From where I stand, it certainly doesn't look like it," Charlie said, standing with her hands on her hips. "All I know is, one day things changed between us and the minute Miles finds out, you're saying things just to piss him off and then shutting down completely."

Bass thought for a moment, "Whoa, hang on, what did I say to piss off Miles?"

"The question is when do you _not_ say things to piss him off?" Charlie asked.

"Well ok, I'll give you that, but what are you referring to exactly?" Bass asked. After a split second, he answered his own questions. "Okay, I see...you think that I told him I was in love with you just to piss him off?"

"Well I haven't exactly been 'feeling the love' since," Charlie said sarcastically. "That's how I knew it was bullshit."

Bass reached over to grab her hands in his own. "Charlie, stop...when I said that, I was telling the truth."

"Yeah, I'll bet. You have just showered me with affection haven't you?...please. You barely look at me now and act like you can't be around me. That's not love."

Bass closed his eyes, sighing.

Charlie had this whole thing completely misunderstood. He was struggling with Rachel's revelation, that's why he had pulled away...but he couldn't tell her that. When he opened his eyes again, Charlie had pulled her hands away from him and was just waiting for a response.

"Well, I guess you just believe what you want to believe then," was all he could think to say at that moment.

Charlie put her hands on her head and felt like she was going to scream.

"You are SO infuriating! How am I supposed to believe anything that you say? You say one thing but your actions say something completely different!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Things are just complicated, do you get that?!" Bass finally exploded. "There's more to this than you know and-"

"-More to what?" Charlie asked. He had her attention now - damn.

"It's just, I can't talk about this anymore...you don't have a lot of experience with relationships, it can get really complicated some times," Bass said, trailing off and feeling like an even bigger jerk.

"If relationships are complicated, it's because people make them that way, and as for my 'lack of experience,' you can go to hell," Charlie said darkly.

Bass stood watching her for a moment as she hung the flour sack back up on the hook and began punching it with a new fervor. He could only imagine the face she was seeing as she punched the bag harder than before.


	15. Chapter 15

Bass walked back into the house.

"Out for another rendezvous?" Miles asked as he stood in the doorway.

"Go to hell Miles," Bass stormed past him and into the kitchen.

Miles rolled his eyes and walked out the door to meet Charlie in the shed for training.

Bass walked into the kitchen where Rachel was cleaning up.

"Rachel, we need to talk," Bass said, sitting down on the kitchen stool.

Rachel turned around to face him, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm really trying to be a decent guy about this and keep your secret...but when are you going to tell them the truth?" Bass asked.

"Bass, I don't know...I don't know how to say it, it's not something you can just blurt out in the middle of a conversation," Rachel said carefully.

"I know that, but this situation, I can't pretend like I don't know this...I can't pretend that things aren't different," Bass said, running his hands through his hair nervously.

Rachel felt a flicker of regret for telling him, seeing the effect that placing her burden on him had caused.

"Bass, I'm sorry this is hard for you...and I will tell them, soon. I promise."

Bass shook his head, "Okay, I'll stay quiet for now...but I can't keep this secret forever. Miles and Charlie have a right to know."

Rachel nodded as Bass turned to leave the kitchen quickly.

He hadn't seen the shadowed figure in a side room off the hallway who had heard the whole conversation. Aaron leaned against the wall more confused than ever.

_Exactly what secret would Rachel be keeping from Miles and Charlie that Monroe would know first?_ he thought to himself.


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks for the great feedback from everyone! I always appreciate positive reviews and constructive criticism - keep it coming! ~~

The next day had been a long one. Miles, Charlie and Bass had set up various attack points in which they had lured Patriots troops. They had managed to fight a large number of the troops and came out relatively unscathed. Charlie suffered a minor shoulder injury but the worst was that her hands were very sore, blistered, and bruised from her training with the flour sack the night before. She had seen Bass looking at her hands and waited for some form of "I told you so" but he had remained silent. They had waged a battle, it was not a time for bantering.

Later that evening, they were gathered in the living room relaying the day's events to Rachel who had stayed behind to work on some plans with Aaron and Gene.

"This is going to be tough because we continue to remain outnumbered," Miles said, leaning back into his chair with his cup of whiskey. Bass was well into his fifth cup, enough to numb the conflicting feelings that he continued to experience whenever he was in close proximity to Charlie.

"...is this winnable, then?" Rachel asked softly after a moment.

Miles looked at her, "the truth is, I don't really know. We're going up against a giant that seems to gain traction everyday. They lost a huge number before, but I heard rumors that the Patriots were recruiting in the Plains Nation...so theycould continue to get stronger."

"So, we're here fighting these Patriot bastards,_ I'm_ fighting them, every time you ask me to, but now you don't think we can win this?" Bass asked, looking at Miles.

Miles shrugged, "Bass, you know as well as I do that gauging an opponent can be a crapshoot. We're only as strong as our intel and right now, we don't have much to go on beyond rumors. Things have gone pretty silent."

"Yeah since the Human Touch fried half of them in the high school," Bass replied grimly.

Charlie rolled her eyes, thankful that Aaron was not in the room to hear that comment.

Bass stood up, suddenly finding himself angry. "Well, I think its about time that you give me the answers you promised," he said, taking a step closer to Miles. Miles stood up to face him.

"I want to know where my son is, and enough with the games and the bullshit, you need to tell me now," Bass said, a dark tone in his voice.

"Bass, don't get started on this again," Miles said, trying to diffuse the situation and knowing that Bass was drunk by this point.

"You son of a bitch, don't tell me not to 'start with this' again...we are talking about my son. You are knowingly keeping my child from me. What kind of person does that?" Bass asked in a biting tone, realizing that it could be offending another person in the room...but he was too drunk and angry to care.

"Listen, you were out of control, Bass. I had to do something - I mean, let's face it, truthfully, what kind of father would you have been?" Miles asked.

"What about you? What kind of father would _you_ have been?" Bass asked angrily, jabbing his finger into Miles chest, standing toe to toe.

Rachel and Charlie both stood up, thinking this was getting ready to come to blows.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about Bass, you aren't even making sense now," Miles said.

"Of course I'm not," Bass said wryly. "...but maybe you should start asking some questions...because if for one second, you thought that you had a kid out there, you would want someone to tell you how to find them or at least tell you the truth."

Upon that statement, Bass stormed out of the room, leaving Miles and Charlie confused and Rachel fearful for what Bass may reveal if she didn't admit the truth soon.


End file.
